Electrical socket outlets are well known to provide access to the main power supply of a building. Such outlets are often mounted in a hole formed in a building wall. Once the electrical socket housing has been mounted in the wall, a cover plate is typically secured over the opening so that only the access apertures in the socket face are exposed on the outside of the wall. For example, the cover plate includes an aperture adapted to register with the socket face. Typically, a mounting hole registers with a threaded bore in the electrical housing so that a mounting bolt inserted therethrough mounts the plate over the housing, whereby the edges of the cover plate engage a peripheral wall portion surrounding the hole in the wall. As a result, the previously known cover plate provides a finished appearance to the electrical outlet housing, and prevents exposure of the electrical components within the housing, although a particularly configured plug adapted to be inserted within the access openings of the sockets can be engaged therein.
While the previously known electrical plug receptacles permit electrically operated devices to receive the electrical power by merely plugging in an appropriate plug into the receptacle, however, the plug can be easily removed from the receptacle as well. Thus, when the electrical cord extending between the plug and the electrically operated device is pulled upon, either from moving the device, a person tripping over the cord, the inadvertent activities of a child or a pet can cause the cord and hence the plug to be pulled upon. This pulling tension in the cord can easily displace the plug from its receptacle connection resulting in an the undesirable loss of electrical power to the device.
While there are known attachments for electrical outlet cover plates, none are well adapted to positively retain the plug within the socket as the electrical cord is pulled in the direction away from the electrical outlet.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for positively retaining an electrical plug in place in an outlet.